The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-08-11
EASTER IN MODERN NAZARETH.
How tho People Enjoy the Day-women
-. at the We'll.

]
1t is the Greek Easter, and many are in
town from the surrounding country, while
of Nazarenes, every one seems to be out
of doors. All day long the shady olive
grove between the monastery and the
church has resounded to the cries of chill
dren running hither and thither, or swing
! ing to and fro under the swaying branches.
| The entire orchard meadow is one kaleid-
oscope of color, for these Greeks have
an eye to that, and are evidently trying to
Guido in glory the peoples and daisies at
their feet In comfortable looking groups
sit fathers and mothers and all sorts of
relatives, chatting and singing and thor
oughly enjoying the glad Easter. Not the
slightest indecorum, if you please, but
| everyhody's manners in harmony with
best bib and tucker-and that means q
| great deal where bibs arc in the rarest of
colorings and fuckers in the quaintest Of
contrasts. All are having n heartily good
and joyous time, as BELTS those who had
been to mass. BY aud by come rich robed
priests in procession, chanting and bear
/ ing as rich banners; the event of the day
| to the crowd was it, great the interest;
and then afterwards the buzz of lively
| conversation again. How cheerful and
natural it all seemed.
If one cannot have historical and sacred
| remains lie can find several good foreign
schools, orphanages, hospitals, and other
| endeavors of the missionaries, surely more
expressive of the Christ child and his
! youth than any amount of shrine worship.
! And of that child with his virgin mother,
the one spring which in any age has re
| freshed the Nazarenes, speaks in no IN
eloquent rippling voice, for nowadays the
! sight about the basin with its stone gable
cannot be very different from that seen
here in those days of old. The women in
their gayly embroidered jackets, in the pc
culiar adornings of strings of coins falling
over the forehead, and representing, sup
pose, their entire dowry, the women are
crowding about, water jar On head, await
ing patiently or impatiently their turn,
and passing if possible the jars over the
heads Of their intervening sisters to the
friends at court, namely at the fountain,
precisely as man at the tail end Of line
will beg friend near the Office to buy his
railway or theater ticket for him. What
medley Of costumes! What medley
of conquest Even if some poor souls must
needs bide their time, evidently no
moment is lost, Judging from the rapid
and by no means low voiced converse
ton; and from the laughter it is likely
that joke, more or less modest, is not
wanting The women here are not so
strict about yelling their faces, the catch
ing one end of their long head drapery in
the mouth being considered quite sufIi-
Gent upon the approach of one Of the
lords Of creation, and they do it coquet-
tishly enough, too. Coming to the spring
bearing on their heads the empty water
jars, tilted to one side, or returning bear
ing them filed and upright they are al
ways statuesque and beautiful creatures
to look upon, beyond their sisters of any
Palestine town, unless Bethlehem be
instanced, and the joining Of these two
places in this regard brings often to mind
that wife Of Joseph, who must have many
a time visited this well to draw water.
Hero comes now such Madonna face,
and, 10, by tho hand is held @ chubby
little child who looks at us with his great
searching eyes as the Christ might have
done.
If O multitude of absurd traditions dis
gust, one such sight as this, and in such
place, will atone for any irritation, for the
Bible becomes thereafter no book to be
read at arms length, but living, human
story, as it is divine one.-Palestine
Cor. Cleveland Leader.